Guitarist, composer and educator Alexander Baboian has been described by renowned music educator Hal Crook in JazzWax as a "future major voice in Jazz," and by All About Jazz as "a superb composer, an original improviser, and an apt bandleader." Graduating from the renowned Berklee College of Music in 2014, he was awarded the Guitar Department Achievement Award twice and represented the college in major national festivals such as the Washington DC Jazz Festival, Boston Beantown Jazz Festival and JEN Jazz Conference.
After completing his studies at Berklee Alexander relocated to Europe and spent several years immersed in the vibrant art scene of Berlin, Germany, working with various forms of music and types of ensembles. Besides performances at venues and festivals he hosted a monthly jam session with Jazz and electronic musicians at Klunkerkranich the Okujou Beat Salon.
His growing interest in his own cultural heritage brought him to Armenia in 2018 where he was invited to teach in the Jazz department of Yerevan State Conservatory and worked closely with beloved Armenian pianist Vahagn Hayrapetyan. His continued academic ambitions brought him to Belgium in 2021, where he completed his master’s studies in the Jazz department of Royal Conservatoire Antwerp on a scholarship from the VLUHR and where he had the opportunity to work closely with renowned artists such as Joey Baron, Chris Potter, and Lionel Loueke.
He is currently based in the Netherlands where he teaches at the American School of the Hague and Max Guitar store, gives performances and workshops as well as composes for ensembles as well as electronic music for multimedia projects.
After completing his studies at Berklee Alexander relocated to Europe and spent several years immersed in the vibrant art scene of Berlin, Germany, working with various forms of music and types of ensembles. Besides performances at venues and festivals he hosted a monthly jam session with Jazz and electronic musicians at Klunkerkranich the Okujou Beat Salon.
His growing interest in his own cultural heritage brought him to Armenia in 2018 where he was invited to teach in the Jazz department of Yerevan State Conservatory and worked closely with beloved Armenian pianist Vahagn Hayrapetyan. His continued academic ambitions brought him to Belgium in 2021, where he completed his master’s studies in the Jazz department of Royal Conservatoire Antwerp on a scholarship from the VLUHR and where he had the opportunity to work closely with renowned artists such as Joey Baron, Chris Potter, and Lionel Loueke.
He is currently based in the Netherlands where he teaches at the American School of the Hague and Max Guitar store, gives performances and workshops as well as composes for ensembles as well as electronic music for multimedia projects.
As a Jazz artist and instrumentalist Alexander has appeared at major venues in America, Europe, and Asia such as The Kennedy Center, Scullers, MIT and Harvard University Radio WHRB (US), A-Trane, B-Flat, Schlott (DE), Music Village, Hotclub Gent (BE), Bimhuis (NE), Opus Jazz Club (HU), U Maleho Glena (CZ), Cafesjian Arts Center (AM), Ogikubo Velvet Sun (JP), and All That Jazz (KR) as well as festivals such as the DC Jazz Festival, JEN Jazz Conference, Beantown Jazz Festival (US), Morgenland Festival, Fusion Festival (DE), Lamantin Jazz Festival (HU), and Goldon Apricot Festival (AM).
Alexander’s debut album as a leader Curiosity (2014), featured his original compositions and arrangements for contemporary Jazz trio and quintet and was well received, being described by All About Jazz as "an intimate, contemplative and supremely lyrical work... sonic poetry." Although his music is deeply rooted in the jazz tradition, it is rich with many other influences such as blues, soul, folk, classical, and electronic music.
As a composer his works have been performed by ensembles internationally at De Singel, CC Muze, Howest Hogeschool, The Bimhuis Amsterdam, Hnita Jazz Club. His original sound installation Ways of Water was premiered at the UGent Art Science Interaction Lab in spatial audio. He also is the composer of the full OST for the indie game Time to Wake Up.
His broad artistic vision has lead to interdisciplinary collaborations between music and the visual arts (painter Oliver Orthuber and VJ Chuu); spoken word (Rhode Island University Annual Langston Hughes Poetry Reading); and dance (tap dancer Christopher Erk’s Tap in View and choreographer Katherine Leung’s Dreamscapes) as well as art installation projects (Isaac Chong Wai’s The Horizon Where We Can Never Touch at CHB Collegium Hungaricum, Berlin and Ana Prvacki’s Performing Daily Practice at the Isabella Stuart Gardener Museum, Boston).
Alexander’s debut album as a leader Curiosity (2014), featured his original compositions and arrangements for contemporary Jazz trio and quintet and was well received, being described by All About Jazz as "an intimate, contemplative and supremely lyrical work... sonic poetry." Although his music is deeply rooted in the jazz tradition, it is rich with many other influences such as blues, soul, folk, classical, and electronic music.
As a composer his works have been performed by ensembles internationally at De Singel, CC Muze, Howest Hogeschool, The Bimhuis Amsterdam, Hnita Jazz Club. His original sound installation Ways of Water was premiered at the UGent Art Science Interaction Lab in spatial audio. He also is the composer of the full OST for the indie game Time to Wake Up.
His broad artistic vision has lead to interdisciplinary collaborations between music and the visual arts (painter Oliver Orthuber and VJ Chuu); spoken word (Rhode Island University Annual Langston Hughes Poetry Reading); and dance (tap dancer Christopher Erk’s Tap in View and choreographer Katherine Leung’s Dreamscapes) as well as art installation projects (Isaac Chong Wai’s The Horizon Where We Can Never Touch at CHB Collegium Hungaricum, Berlin and Ana Prvacki’s Performing Daily Practice at the Isabella Stuart Gardener Museum, Boston).
